


Flameo, Batman!

by HuiLian



Series: ATLA AU [1]
Category: DCU (Comics)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern with Bending (Avatar), AtLA AU, Bickering, Family, Fluff, YeetDC2020, batfamweek 2020, kidnapping fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-08
Updated: 2020-03-08
Packaged: 2021-02-28 18:47:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,554
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23061946
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HuiLian/pseuds/HuiLian
Summary: Bruce was kidnapped. Bruce Wayne was kidnapped, which means he can’t save himself because everyone still thinks he is a harmless non-bender. Incidentally, it is also why Dick is here in Gotham, as Nightwing, staking out this warehouse.
Relationships: Dick Grayson & Bruce Wayne, Dick Grayson & Jason Todd
Series: ATLA AU [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1727689
Comments: 10
Kudos: 121
Collections: Tales from the Cave





	Flameo, Batman!

**Author's Note:**

> Written for batfamweek 2020, day 1! The prompt was meta AU, but I wanted to play with ATLA AU for so long that I decided ATLA AU was close enough to them having meta powers. There’s also some overprotectiveness here, so, I guess, you can count that? Anyways, enjoy! 
> 
> Title is, of course, from ATLA

Bruce was kidnapped.  _ Bruce Wayne _ was kidnapped, which means he can’t save himself because everyone still thinks he is a harmless non-bender. Incidentally, it is also why Dick is here in Gotham, as Nightwing, staking out this warehouse. 

Even Babs, with all her Oracle magic, can only narrow the possible sites to five different locations, and, as Damian is not old enough to do a stakeout alone, Dick came to Gotham to help with the stakeout. When the almighty Oracle can only narrow the possible sites of holding to  _ five _ locations instead of her usual one-shot hit, you know that these people are at least good at what they do. They even have all their possible holding sites away from large bodies of water, which tells Dick two things about these kidnappers. One: they did enough research and have enough sense of self-preservation to know that the Bats have waterbenders in their ranks, and two: they do not have any waterbenders in their own ranks, or at least not one good enough to offset the advantage they would be giving the Bats by staying close to water. 

“Is it time to burst in yet?” Jason’s voice said from Dick’s comm. “I’m getting tired of waiting.” 

“I thought it was firebenders who are rumored not to have patience, Hood, not waterbenders,” Damian retorts. 

“Hey!” And that was Tim, who is stationed with Damian. Neither of them was pleased with the arrangement, but Damian is learning the firebending forms now, and the best way to learn a form is to work together with a bender of that element, so Damian has been partnered with Tim more often than not nowadays. Dick really hopes that the bickering is a sign of them bonding, at least a little, because he is going crazy with the sheer amount of bickering that is going on. (Dick supposes that bickering, instead of flat out violence, is a step forward in their relationship, but if  _ Dick Grayson _ is tired of your bickering, that means your bickering has truly reached an obscene amount.) 

“Hey too, Robin! I’m a waterbender!” Stephanie cries out. Dick really should not have given all of them the same frequency for the comms, because he knows this would happen, but they would eventually figure out which frequency the others use anyways, and this would also happen. Dick decided to just save them, and him, the trouble and gave all of them the same frequency. At least this way  _ he _ won’t have to switch between frequencies before they all collectively decide on which frequency to use. 

“Tt. My point exactly.” 

Dick sighs. “No, it’s not time to burst in yet. Agent A is going to give the signal, remember? We’re trying the nice way first.” 

Jason scoffs. It is really amazing how he could get that to transfer over the comms. “Why are we still doing the nice way first? When, in your nearly two decades of kidnapping experiences, have the nice way ever worked?” 

Jason does have a point, but Dick is not going to tell him that. The nice way, which is trying to negotiate with the kidnappers, only worked in about  _ never _ . But the nice way is how the Waynes’ reputation of being a harmless rich family stays intact, and so they are going to always do the nice way first. 

Fortunately, or unfortunately, depending on how you see it, Alfred’s voice crackles through the comm at that particular moment. “They do not accept our, frankly, generous offer. It seems we have to use force after all.” 

“Ha!” Jason cries out. “Told you so, N!” 

“Yeah, yeah, Hood,” Dick says. “Everyone knows what they’re supposed to be doing?” 

There is a smattering of agreements from everyone, which Dick expected. His siblings may bicker and generally cause havoc that  _ Dick _ would then have to sort out, but they do their job with a professionalism that is really unparalleled, especially when it is someone of their own on the line.

“Alright then. Everyone has to go in at the same time, or this won’t work. If you have the jackpot, call it out on the comms. If you do not have the jackpot, immediately go and help the person has. Clear on that?” 

Another smattering of agreements. Okay then, Operation-Save-Bruce-From-A-Kidnapping-Attempt Number too many to count is a go. “On my count. One, two, three!” 

Dick hears glass crashing from one of the lines. Why do his family have to be so dramatic? But the best way into Dick’s warehouse from where he’s perching now is through the window, so Dick really doesn’t have much to stand on here. 

Dick jumps from his perch, bends the trace amount of metal on his suit to his toes, protecting them from broken glass, and breaks the glass window. At the same time, he wills the earth underneath his legs to raise up to meet him. People don’t expect Nightwing to be an earthbender because his fighting style is more like those of airbenders, so sometimes Dick doesn’t start bending until the very end of a bust, just to give himself that extra advantage. But these guys know about waterbenders within the Bats’ ranks, which a lot of people don’t know, so Dick is pretty sure they knew already that Nightwing is an earthbender. Might as well use it to his advantage. 

“Mine’s not it,” Jason says through the comms. 

“Not it.” That is Cass

“Not here either.” Steph. 

Dick scans the warehouse he is in. Thirty men, armed and armored. Their armor is not even metal, which goes to show that this group really knows about the Bat’s bending. All of them are aiming to where Dick is right now. 

“I’m it,” Dick says into his comm while changing the shape of the boulder he just ripped from the earth. He bends it so that it would cover him from the thirty guns all firing at him while allowing him to look around for Bruce. 

“You should have said so sooner, Nightwing.” 

“Damnit, Robin,  _ I’m _ driving. You’re not old enough!” 

“And your driving skills are not up to par, Red, so I will be driving to get us to Nightwing’s location as soon as possible.” 

This is Dick’s life. Trying to shut down a fight between his brothers while he is literally being shot at. “Robin, let Red drive.” 

“Tt.” 

Dick can tell that Damian is not entirely pleased with that order, but thankfully he doesn’t say anything else into the comms, which Dick took as him acquiescing to the order. That allows Dick to actually focus on his job, which is finding Bruce inside this warehouse. 

Even though the men did not wear metal armors, they somehow forget their guns and bullets are still made of metal, which Dick  _ can _ bend. It’s really lucky that Dick is the one who found where Bruce is being held because none of the others can bend metal. 

From behind his boulder, Dick allows his senses to find all the guns in the room. Then, he jams them. Dick lets the final round of bullets hit his boulder and then listens to the curses that all the men are letting out. It’s really satisfying when the perps realize that their guns are not working anymore.

There he is. Dick spots Bruce handcuffed to a pillar at the very end of the warehouse. If he were being Batman, Bruce could have easily picked the lock for that handcuff. But he is not, and it is Dick’s job to save him. Divested of their guns, these men should not be that much of a challenge. 

Dick goes out of this protective boulder, and smiles. Yeah, these men look terrified with their guns out of commission. This should be fun. 

*

Dick is halfway through fighting the men when he hears a motorcycle coming into the warehouse. Jason, most likely. His place is the closest to Dick’s. 

Gunshots. Jason, confirmed. Dick can’t feel bullets flying through the air, so Jason must be using rubber bullets. That’s nice. Dick is hoping to avoid a  _ conversation _ with Bruce after this is all over. (He does not have the time to check which bullets Jason is carrying before they have to move. If Bruce knew about that, there would be  _ conversations _ to be had, and Dick doesn’t want that when he already has to work twice as hard tomorrow because he misses a night in Bludhaven.) 

Jason being there does help, though, because now Dick can almost reach Bruce. It’s really annoying to have to ‘rescue’ someone who is perfectly capable of rescuing themselves but can’t because they are keeping their identity intact. Dick should know, he’s been in both roles. Dick glances up to Bruce, trying to silently tell him to be patient and let Dick come to him, when he is tackled by Jason. Jason, who took the knife that was aiming for Dick. 

“What the hell, Hood? I knew that knife was coming, I could feel it. It’s made of ceramic.” 

“No thanks, N? I’m hurt.” Jason lets go of Dick to stand back up. “Ouch, the knife just went in deeper.” 

“No shit, Hood. Wait, why is everyone on the ground already?” 

There is no one left attacking the two of them when Dick could have sworn that there are at least several perps still standing when Jason tackled him to the ground. Then he sees Bruce, out of the handcuff, striking the last of the men. 

Of course it’s Bruce. Dick should have known that Bruce would not be able to sit still once he saw one of them injured. It’s really sweet of him, but if he keeps doing it, then they might as well just threw the whole ‘secret identity’ thing to the garbage. Everyone is going to know that Bruce Wayne is capable of a really scary hand-to-hand, and then questions  _ will _ be asked. And it was Bruce who insisted on the secret identity thing in the first place. 

“Are you okay?” Bruce asks.

“Yeah, yeah, I’m fine, old man.” 

“Agent A won’t be happy about the knife wound, Hood,” Dick says. 

“As long as he still heals it, I’m okay with that,” Jason shrugs. Then cries out, because shrugging when you have a knife in your shoulder is really not a good idea. 

Dick sighs. “Okay, you,” he points to Bruce, “are staying here until the police arrive and they can take your statement, which I don’t know why they bother, at this point. I’ll stay here with you until the police arrive, let them see me for a bit, and then leave. You,” Dick turns to Jason, “are hitching a ride with whoever is here next to the Cave, and you are going to let Agent A heals that shoulder. Okay?” 

It is then that Cass and Steph come to the warehouse. They were not stationed near each other, at least not near enough that they could justify coming to Dick’s station together. Worse, each of their stations is further away from this warehouse than Tim and Damian’s station and they still manage to reach this place, together, earlier than Tim and Damian. 

“Why are you here together?” Dick asks Cass and Steph. 

They both shrug, but Steph actually elaborates. “From the sound of it, you two were handling this well enough. So me and Cass decides to just meet up and come here together, to avoid the disaster Robin duo.” Steph stops then, realizing that neither Tim nor Damian is present. “Wait, are we still earlier than the two of them?” 

Dick sighs again. “Batgirl, take Hood to the Cave to get healed by Agent A. Black Bat, please keep an eye on Hood and make sure he actually gets to the Cave.” 

Steph mock-salutes him. “You got it, boss.” Then, she frowns. “Wait, you’re not the boss anymore.” 

“Batgirl, please?” 

“Fine, fine! And you say I don’t do enough for this family.” 

“Literally no one ever says that,” Jason mutters. 

“Just, get him to Agent A. Please, BB?” Dick changes his tactics.

Cass smiles. It is not the smile that Dick wanted to see. That smile promises havoc.  _ Why _ are his siblings like this again?

“A good time to start learning healing, huh, Batgirl?” Jason taunts. 

“Learn healing yourself, Hood! You’re also a waterbender!” 

“Enough! Come on! Just, go to the Cave and ask Agent A to heal you! It’s literally that simple, Hood. You don’t even have to do it if you had just let me handle that knife.” 

“Is this the repayment I get for saving your life?” 

“You didn’t save my life. I can literally feel that knife coming towards me. I’m an  _ earthbender _ and that knife is made of  _ ceramic _ , which is earth.” 

“And yet you didn’t bend it away from you until  _ I _ have to intercept it.” 

Dick puts his hand to his head. Then, turning to Bruce, he says, “This is your fault. You’re the one who decides to give me siblings.” 

Bruce’s face is deadpan. “I have no idea what you’re talking about, Nightwing. How could I, Bruce Wayne, a harmless non-bender, be able to decide who becomes your siblings?”

Steph is the first one to laugh, but Jason and Cass are not far behind. Dick would be the first to admit that Bruce being sarcastic is absolutely hilarious, especially while he is being Brucie Wayne, but it does not help Dick in this situation. Which, come to think of it, is saving Bruce from a situation he could have easily saved himself from. 

Screw it. Dick is washing his hands of this situation. “You know what, Mr. Wayne? Since this holding place has been secured, I’m going to leave you to the capable hands of Batgirl and Black Bat.” Dick smiles sweetly, which he is sure that Bruce knows is fake. “I’ll let them deal with the GCPD for a change. Oh, and I’m sure the Robins are going to be here any minute, and they are also very capable crimefighters. Between the four of them, I’m sure you are in good hands, Mr. Wayne. Good night.” 

Dick can see the panic in Bruce’s eyes. Steph is notorious for trying to get a rise out of Bruce, and with Bruce being in the Brucie Wayne identity, he would have no way of reigning Steph in. Cass would just help, because Cass is sometimes evil that way. Add the two feuding Robins in the mix, and Bruce had just gotten himself a very explosive mix indeed. 

“Wait, Nightwing…” 

“Good night, Mr. Wayne. Hood, if you’re not coming with me  _ right now _ , I’m going to leave you to ride that motorcycle alone back to the Cave with that knife still in your shoulders.” 

“Jeez, alright ‘Wing, I’m coming.” 

Alfred would find himself with, at the very least, two patients tonight. God knows what Damian and Tim have gotten themselves into. Well, they are Bruce’s problem now. After Jason has been taken care of, Dick is going to ask Alfred to work his amazing healing bending on him, because this mission with his family is really making his headache flare again. 

(At this rate, either Jason or Steph really needs to learn healing, because poor Alfred is always being asked to heal something or another.) 

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> check out my tumblr (huilian.tumblr.com)


End file.
